【20盘点】最佳命名歌曲前十首 Top 10 Best Named Songs &#【号外】Tommy: 用整张专辑叙述一个故事
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TOP 10 BEST NAMED SONGS
VO: REBECCA BRAYTON
Script written by Aaron Cameron. Never judge a song by its title, or a title by its song. For this list, we’re choosing songs with unique titles and ignoring overly obscure, goofy or novelty tracks, or songs that are just downright offensive. And while the song quality is not the main criteria for our choices, it is a consideration that’s mixed in with the story behind the title and how much it stands out. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 best named songs. Special thanks to our user akt for submitting the idea on our Suggest Page at WatchMojo.comsuggest
Script written by Aaron Cameron.
Never judge a song by its title, or a title by its song. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 best named songs.
For this list, we’re choosing songs with unique titles and ignoring overly obscure, goofy or novelty tracks, or songs that are just downright offensive. And while the song quality is not the main criteria for our choices, it is a consideration that’s mixed in with the story behind the title and how much it stands out.
#10: “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” (1981)
AC/DC
Following the death of lead singer Bon Scott, the band briefly considered breaking up before regrouping around new singer Brian Johnson. Although every song on the Back in Black album proved the band could continue after Scott, this one more than the others cementedd that stance. Defiant against critics of all kinds, the hard rock and blues rock track was also the album’s highest charting single, hitting #15 in the UK, and gaining a ton of pollution-free airplay.
#9: “Riders on the Storm” (1971)
The Doors
Never mind the rainfall-like electric piano or the spooky whispered vocals, this title is a story unto itself, as it’s reportedly based on the late Jim Morrison’s life. In fact, the title of L.A. Woman song was so strong it became the band’s name when guitarist Robby Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek were denied usage of The Doors name following Morrison’s death.
#8: “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” (1993)
Pearl Jam
According to front man Eddie Vedder, this song gained its lengthy title due to him growing bored with the band’s usual one-word titles. Descriptive and visual, the title sets the tone and nature of the story before it ever even begins and can almost be considered a casting call. Vedder claims he never physically wrote the lyrics to the song down, but instead sang out the story while demoing it. Twenty minutes later, the demo was complete – and the result is an acoustic delight that hit the top 40 on the American rock tracks charts.
#7: “Champagne Supernova” (1996)
Oasis
It may not make sense, but then it kinda does – this title perfectly matches not only to the swirling, and psychedelic music of this Oasis song but also its poetic and artful lyrics. The title is also in tune with the spinning out of body feeling of drunkenness or the dizzy, heavy-headiness of a hangover. Meanwhile, the song itself was a top 10 hit on the American rock tracks charts. Songwriter Noel Gallagher also gained extra mileage from the title, naming both his home and his signature Epiphone guitar model after the song.
#6: “Peace Sells” (1986)
Megadeth
Driven to write metal songs that were more socially and politically aware, Dave Mustaine lifted this song’s title from a Reader’s Digest article discussing then-current Cold War politics. That piece, titled “Peace Would Sell But No One Would Buy It” also lent itself to the album’s full title Peace Sells...But Who’s Buying? Homeless while working on the album, Mustaine wrote the song’s lyrics with a marker on the wall of the band’s rehearsal space. Despite its humble beginnings, the track is now a live staple and metal standard.
#5: “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” (1995)
The Smashing Pumpkins
Sure, it’s home to a bagful of awesome riffs, and Billy Corgan’s overwrought “it sucks to be famous” lyrics but it’s that title pulls you right in. Is it a friendly bullet? A mean butterfly? Both? Violent and peaceful, it’s a strange combination that creates a powerful image of...something. While not mentioned in the lyrics, the title still manages to sum up the song and tells the listener that this will not be your average alt-rock song – and the fact it was the band’s first Top 40 on the Hot 100 proves it.
#4: “Comfortably Numb” (1979)
Pink Floyd
The song may contain two of the greatest guitar solos of all time, but even on its own, that title is a slice of fried gold. “Comfortably Numb” was actually based on a real incident where bassist Roger Waters was in pain and was subsequently pumped full of tranquilizers to get through a live show. While a perfect match to the subject and feel of the song, the Waters-Gilmour co-write was originally titled “The Doctor” owing to its role and placement in the storyline of its parent album, The Wall.
#3: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)
Nirvana
Together, those four words were strong enough to launch a career, create an icon, and revolutionize modern music. They also coulda helped sell a lot of pit-stick. Kurt Cobain had the idea for the title when a friend wrote “Kurt smells like teen spirit” on his wall. Cobain thought she was giving serious props to his legit, rebellious outlook and not the fact that he smelled like his girlfriend’s deodorant of the same name. Context is everything, kids! Not that it mattered too much, considering the alt-rock legacy this song has left.
#2: “I Am the Walrus” (1967)
The Beatles
“Now here’s another clue for you all - the walrus was Paul.” Written to both confuse and mock people who read too deeply into Beatles lyrics, the title of this song is the perfect bait. That John Lennon modelled the melody after a police siren and threw in random literary references at will only sweetens the deal.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- “Everytime I Eat Vegetables It Makes Me Think of You” (1983)
The Ramones
- “Is It Progression If a Cannibal Uses a Fork?” (2007)
Chiodos
- “You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us In Prison” (2004)
My Chemical Romance
- “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” (1974)
Frank Zappa
- “Rock Lobster” (1978)
The B-52’s
#1: “Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn’t Get Sued” (2005)
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is known for ear-catching titles like “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark,” but this one’s 15-word moniker is both lengthy and accurate. Not to mention it was far-and-away your most voted pick on our Suggestion Poll. A song about fame, the original title “My Name Is David Ruffin and These Are The Temptations” is a nod to Ruffin’s desire to rename the Motown vocal group after himself. This desire, along with other questionable behaviour, instead led to his dismissal. While we have no comment on whether lawsuits would have been drawn, the late singer’s estate did sue NBC and others for the depiction of his death in a mini-series based on The Temptations – so maybe the boys were smart to heed their lawyer’s advice.
Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite song title? For more titular Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
*【号外】Tommy: 用整张专辑叙述一个故事
Tommy
用整张专辑叙述一个故事——听到这句话,也许我们大家的第一反应,都会是pink floyd乐队的那张伟大的“the wall”。但早在“the wall”发行之前整整十年,也就是1969年,同样来自英国的the who乐队的双唱片专辑“tommy”就已浮出水面,并将the who送入了摇滚巨人的殿堂。
这张专辑甚至在日后被人们认为是历史上第一张成功的摇滚音乐剧。你能想象得到一个摇滚乐队可以在同时得到主流与非主流的认同并且可以在冠冕堂皇富贵华丽的伦敦大剧场纽约大都会剧场进行演出吗,the who做到了,Tommy让the who做到了。
"Tommy" 讲述了一个怪异的童话般的故事:tommy童年受到刺激,变得又聋又哑又瞎,但具有打弹球的天赋。身体神奇般的复原后,tommy成为青年一代的偶像。他集合了所有的信徒,强迫他们堵上眼睛、耳朵、嘴,不停的练习弹球,结果被信徒们推翻。
“tommy”于1975年由ken russell拍成电影,乐队主唱roger daltrey在片中饰演tommy,另外还汇集了jack nicholson, elton john, tina turner等明星,乐队其他成员也全部登场,使得这部电影热闹非凡,让人眼花缭乱。
我们就结合电影,以每首歌为小标题,来欣赏一下这张杰作:
1,Overture
这首曲子大半部分都是器乐,旋律非常流畅,在悦耳的同时无限振奋人心。更重要的是,它是专辑的提纲挈领之作,是所有曲目中的重中之重。我这么说是因为,如果你仔细听的话,就会发现专辑中后来的一些曲子,旋律有和它相似之处:前奏像“1921”,接下来像“go to the mirror”的开头,然后是专辑的核心句“see me , feel me , touch me , heal me”的调子,再接着是专辑的总结段落“listening to you, I get the music……”的旋律,另外还穿插了歌曲“pinball wizard”的那著名的前奏。如果你找到了这些相似处,你会不得不赞叹townshend的如海的才气。
这表面上是一首器乐,实际上却是能够从头到尾唱出来的!歌词就在后面!当你跟着音乐唱出来的时候,你会有一种快感!
2,It's a Boy
walker上尉参战去了,一去不复返。他的妻子生下了一个儿子,取名为tommy。
3,1921
电影中是这么解释这首歌的内容的:Walker夫人与情人在家中幽会时,walker上尉忽然回来了,原来他并未战死。情人情急之下将他杀死,这一幕被幼小的tommy看到。Walker夫人惊呼:孩子怎么办?于是她和情人疯了一般的对孩子反复说:你什么都没看见!你什么都没听见!你一辈子都不会向别人说这件事!决不要告诉别人你知道的是实情!
这首歌的旋律也非常出色,尤其是前奏
4,amazing journey
这首歌同样旋律优美,易于上口。事实上,从旋律上来看,专辑前半部分的几首歌都非常棒,即使单拿出来听也毫不减色。而后半部分的歌曲,旋律多少被弱化,有些敷衍塞责,不再像前半部分的那样精雕细琢。
这场重大变故吓坏了什么都不懂的tommy,由于被母亲和养父一再吓唬着“没看见,没听见,不许说”,他变成了瞎子、聋子、和哑巴,五感中只剩下了触觉和嗅觉。在几乎与外界隔绝的环境里,tommy变得极有艺术触觉,如诗如乐般的梦幻成为了他的惊奇之旅。
5,sparks
一首纯器乐作品,实际上是后面的长曲“underture”的前半部分。对于曲子想表达的内容,大家可以有各种各样的理解。我认为,它是“amazing journey”的延续,并且tommy将他的精神旅程固定在了一项运动上,那就是打弹子球。
6,eyesight to the blind
Eric clapton在片中扮演传教士,唱响了这首曲子:每当她开始去爱,就会给盲人带来视力;每当她开始摇摆,哑巴就会说话;只要她的红唇轻轻吐出一个字,聋子也会听见。那么这个“她”是谁呢?非常搞笑,竟然是根据玛丽莲梦露在《七年之痒》中站在地铁通风口上、裙子被风吹起来的那个经典造型制作出来的雕塑。Tommy的妈妈带着他,像其他残疾人一样,抚摸着雕塑。但是,很遗憾,tommy没有任何好转。而且,由于触摸时用力过大,把雕塑还碰倒了。
7,christmas
这是一首把悲伤和辛酸隐藏在快节奏的旋律下面的歌曲:圣诞节来了,孩子们兴奋莫名,他们相信爱,相信梦想。但可怜的tommy不知道这是什么日子,他不知道耶稣是谁,不知道什么是祈祷。他怎样才能从永恒的坟墓中被拯救出来?父亲(实际上就是tommy母亲的情人,下同)对他喊:tommy,你能听见我吗?tommy,你能听见我吗?……这时,tommy从心底里发出了如泣如诉的哀求:看着我……感受我……触摸我……治愈我……歌者哀怨的唱腔让人感伤无限。实际上,这哀求正是贯穿整个故事的一个主题:tommy一辈子都在渴望被人理解,被人重视,被人关爱。但是,他童年的不幸经历,已经使他不能再做一个普通人。
8,cousin kevin
如果你听力不好,不能听出这首歌的声乐部分在唱什么,那真是一件幸事,因为歌词实在令人不忍卒读。小tommy和变态表哥kevin呆在一起,kevin 用尽了法子折磨他:将他的头放在淋浴器下面浇得湿透,然后把他锁在门外,而外面正下着大雨;接着把别针扎进他的手指,并让他踩地上的针;再接着用烟头烫他胳膊,把他从楼梯口推下去,饭里放了玻璃,座位上还有铁钉……
9,acid queen
电影中Acid queen由tina turner大妈饰演,她一手带给了tommy更大的遭遇。她像个江湖骗子,声称能治好tommy的残疾。然而她实际上做的是占有了这孩子的第一次,事后还得意洋洋地说,他虽然年轻,但已经不是孩子了(young but not a child)。
10,underture
这首长达十分钟的纯器乐作品把“sparks”的意境延伸到了极致, tommy依然沉浸在他孤独、黑暗的精神世界中,继续着他的amazing journey。这首阴暗、沉郁的曲子让人无法开怀,听着它,我感觉自己仿佛变成了瞎子、聋子和哑巴。唯一值得欣慰的是,在反复练习中,tommy的弹子球技巧愈发娴熟,马上就要让世界瞩目了。
11,do you think it’s alright?
母亲:你觉得这样行吗,把tommy留在ernie叔叔那儿?
父亲:我看行,我看行
12,fiddle about
Tommy经历了他少年时的最后一次受虐:他被ernie叔叔鸡奸了
13,pinball wizard
这首歌是专辑中最出色也最广为人知的一首单曲,当年曾获英国排行榜冠军。不仅它的声乐部分朗朗上口,其脍炙人口的前奏也是很多吉他初学者的启蒙课。曲中的吉他独奏很能代表pete townshend的风格,那就是不强索技艺的精湛,而追求简单明快和刚劲有力。
歌曲的内容,是tommy扬眉吐气的一幕。演唱者以一位弹子球超级高手的口气,先自吹自擂了一番自己,然后承认tommy更为优秀:这个又聋又哑又瞎的男孩,在玩着真正意义上的弹子球!他实在是个弹子球巫师!
在电影中,演到这首歌曲的段落也是极为华丽壮观,庞大的礼堂内挤满了弹子球爱好者,elton john饰演的弹子球高手踩着高跷,一边弹钢琴一边带动大家一起歌唱tommy,专辑中原本三分钟长度的歌曲在电影中被拉成了四分半。而舞台中央的 tommy什么也不知道,只是表情傻傻的专心投入于玩弹子球。歌曲结束时,tommy终于打到了弹子机计数器的极限:9999999999999……(到底有多少个9,我也数不清)
14,there’s a doctor
儿子成名了,给家里人带来收入了,于是父亲开始考虑给孩子治病了。他兴高采烈的对母亲说:城里有个医生能给孩子治病,咱们明天就去找他!
15,go to the mirror
这是专辑中一首相当重要的曲目,也是故事的一个转折点。医生对tommy作了检查,发现他的眼睛、耳朵和嘴都存在着知觉,并非已完全无用;但若想恢复功效,必须要靠他自己的意愿。母亲的爱在这时起了作用:看着我……感受我……触摸我……治愈我……tommy在关爱下终于开始对外界有反应了,在医生的吩咐下他走向了镜子。母亲百感交集,唱响了整部专辑的总结性陈词,陈词的内容我会在最后讲述。
还有,我私下认为,到这首歌为止,专辑的音乐部分都是非常出色的;而在这首歌之后,专辑的音乐开始变得平庸。当然,思想内容是愈加深刻了。类似的毛病也出现在pink floyd的“the wall”中,双张唱片中的第二张显然不如第一张精雕细琢。
16,tommy, can you hear me?
虽然恢复了知觉,但tommy对于父母的呼唤却依然罔若未闻,这让父母十分无奈
17,smash the mirror
对tommy的不理不睬,母亲终于勃然大怒:我叫你你不答应,你只顾看着镜子。你看不见我,却能看到镜中的自己。你能感到我的怒气在上升上升上升……吗?我要把镜子砸了!我真的砸了!……
18,sensation
说也奇怪,母亲砸了镜子后,tommy倒开了窍,身体恢复成了正常人那样。他不再成天沉浸在自己的amazing journey中,而是开始睁眼看这个世界。这个世界很奇怪,每个人都在为他尖叫欢呼。电影中描绘,他所到之处,连摩托党都停止了互相杀伐,弹子球成了他们新的爱好。知道自己已成为全民偶像后,Tommy自信心极度膨胀,发出了“Love as One I Am the Light …”的狂言。
这首歌还有一个重要意义,那就是:在这首歌之前,故事的叙述者多为除tommy之外的人;而从此开始,故事几乎变成了tommy一个人的视角,基本上是他主观叙述了余下的情节。视角的转变,暗示着tommy由极度压抑转为极度放纵。
19,miracle cure
全民偶像身体复原,报纸传媒当然消息不落人后:号外!号外!弹子球巫师身体奇迹般的复原了!号外!……
20,sally simpson
这首歌是专辑中仅有的几首以第三人称讲故事的方法叙述的歌曲(另外一首就是“amazing journey”),音乐部分很出色,故事也很有意思:mr. Simpson告诉女儿sally晚上不能带她去看tommy的演出了,sally一个人跑到屋子里,边哭边发脾气,但从一开始她心底里就明白,她和 tommy是两个世界的人。不过她还是不甘心,于是花了一下午精心打扮自己,然后自己跑去看tommy的演出,希望能够以自己的美貌打动tommy,来获得和他说话的机会。演出现场人头涌动,当tommy出场时,全场轰动了,粉丝们尖叫着向偶像冲去,警察奋力阻挡着他们。失去理智、眼里只有tommy的 sally冲上了舞台,摸了一下tommy的脸。一个穿制服的人立刻把她扔下了台子,她的脸撞在了椅子上,血流满面,不得不被送出了场外。她脸上缝了十六针,而且留下了个大疤,好让她记着tommy的笑容。后来,她嫁给了一个在加州认识的摇滚艺术家。
歌曲的内容,一方面表现了粉丝们总是愚蠢的这一百年不变的真理,另一方面也表明tommy的变质,他不当粉丝们为自己的衣食父母,而是要以他们为工具。
21,I’m free
Tommy狂喜着高喊“我自由了”,然而他的自由是具有破坏性的。众所周知,自由分为消极自由和积极自由两种,消极自由是狭义的自由,只关注自身,对外界几乎不造成伤害;而积极自由是广义的自由,要求影响他人。黑暗血腥的法国大革命,就是积极自由泛滥的恶果。Tommy所感受到的自由就是积极自由,他意识到了他有控制别人的能力。通常,这种情况都会导致可怕的后果。
Tommy:我等待着你们来跟随我。
粉丝们:如何才能跟随你?如何才能跟随你?
邪教领袖tommy
22,welcome
Tommy开始召集他的信徒们(已经比粉丝进了一个层次了),他的声音温柔、好听,具有无限的魅惑力:来我的房子吧,当个安逸的人,我们会整夜品酒,决不睡觉。来吧,你们每个人都来吧。不,你们这些人还不够,回家去把你们认识的人统统都带来!需要更多的屋子吗?没关系,尽管去盖吧,一点都不必节省……来我的房子吧,进来吧!欢迎!
23,tommy’s holiday camp
那个讨厌的ernie叔叔又出现了,他欢迎大家来到tommy的假日聚会,并吹嘘:只要来到了tommy这儿,就永远是假日!
24,we’re not gonna take it
到了故事的高潮了。Tommy开始对信徒们讲话,他的声音依然温柔动听,但已掩饰不住他的骄横和残忍。他强迫大家蒙起眼睛,戴上耳塞、堵住嘴巴,不停的练习打弹子球。看到大家都凛然遵命,tommy真是志得意满,感觉人生已是极致。可是他高估了自己的影响,也低估了信徒们的智力,他没有想到信徒们会起来反抗他。信徒们把聚会场所打了个稀巴烂,他们不想要什么宗教式的生活,只想把tommy狠狠折磨一番,然后把他忘个干净。
25,see me, feel me\listening to you
对故事结尾的理解,我和电影导演有很大的分歧。电影是这么拍的:tommy的父母被信徒们在愤怒之下杀死,tommy对着他们的尸体哀呼:看着我……感受我……触摸我……治愈我……而我认为是,tommy的父母剧情发展到这里时已无关紧要,是他自己经历了巨变,再次变得又聋又哑又瞎,他从心底里向世界恳求:看着我……感受我……主人公前后经历如此之富戏剧性,真如一个顶角无限小的等腰锐角三角形,大起大落。
而接下来的收尾段落,我认为是后来人对tommy的缅怀和追思,这也是tommy的母亲在“go to the mirror”中唱的:
听着你,我得到了音乐
盯着你,我得到了热力
跟着你,我爬上了高山
在你的脚下,我得到了激情
就在你后面,我看到了上百万人
在你身上,我看到了荣耀
从你这里,我得到了这看法
从你这里,我得到了这故事
以上内容转载自豆瓣评论
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